It’s a Thursday night and West Coast rap anthems are thumping over the sound system. A group of O.G.s are playing spades at a nearby table. Skaters are lacing up their customized Stacy Adams boots, which are fully equipped with fiberglass wheels. Those already on the skating rink floor are showing off their skills: doing tricks (sometimes with a partner), two-stepping to the beat and whipping their bodies into turns that seem impossible. They dap each other up as they criss-cross through the crowd and sing along to the music. Smiles are imprinted on their faces. Joy fills the air. They are free.
Roller skating at a rink in L.A. County is a distinctive experience that you have to witness for yourself. For Black Angelenos, it’s a tradition that dates back to the 1950s and remains prominent today despite the lack of rinks in the city. Many skaters say they don’t remember the exact moment they learned how to skate — it’s just always been in them. If you’re Black and you’re from L.A., it’s just something that you do, they say.
In putting together this oral history on the indoor roller-skating scene in L.A., I knew I had to begin with World on Wheels — the last rink in L.A. proper. The beloved Mid-City rink was originally open from 1981 to 2013, then reopened in 2017 with the help of late local hero Nipsey Hussle, before closing permanently in 2020. Most Black rollers have skated at World on Wheels at least once…